As a new academic year unfolds for colleges and universities across the country, a contingent of freshmen who hail from Newark are well equipped to address the joys and challenges of this new chapter in their lives thanks to their participation in the Newark College Institute (NCI).

Founded in 2012 by Arcelio Aponte, Rutgers University-Newark’s (RU-N) vice chancellor for administration and chief financial officer, NCI is an initiative of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative. The Newark City of Learning Collaborative is a citywide, multi-sector network of more than 60 institutions that aspires to increase by 2025 the number of Newark residents with postsecondary degrees. Through its three programs, the Newark College Freshman Institute, the NCI Summer Internships, and the Newark College Senior Institute, NCI furthers the Newark City of Learning Collaborative’s goal by cultivating the professional and personal development skills of Newarkers who are matriculated at institutions of higher learning. NCI also exposes students to various career opportunities in Newark and introduces participants to Newark’s industry leaders.

“Recognizing the growing demand for highly educated employees, the Newark College Institute provides year-round information and support services to students to maximize their employability,” notes Lincoln Farquharson, NCI’s program manager. “We engage and nurture participants throughout their entire undergraduate experience.”

Recruited primarily from New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund programs and other bridge initiatives, the cycle for each incoming freshman begins with the Newark College Freshman Institute. The Newark College Freshman Institute is a four-day event held in August that features seminars, guest speakers, and various team- and skills-building activities. This past August, 125 promising members of the Class of 2019 spent time on the campuses of RU-N and other Newark-based institutions and organizations to learn how to succeed in their first year of college and to improve their résumé-writing, interviewing, financial management, time management, and stress management skills. The agenda also covered social media etiquette and personal branding.

On the final day of the event, community business executives shared their experiences and words of wisdom and encouragement. Alumna Amina Bey, executive director of the Newark Workforce Investment Board, urged students to enjoy college but also take it seriously. Similarly, Mitch Cahn, president of Newark manufacturer New Jersey Headwear Corp., a/k/a Unionwear, advised students to learn as much as possible while they were young. And Elvin Esteves, director of business and commercial litigation at Gibbons P.C. in Newark, extolled Newark’s many professional and personal growth opportunities.

After successfully completing the Newark College Freshman Institute, students then become eligible for paid summer internships with employers primarily based in Newark. For a minimum of eight consecutive weeks, students gain hands-on work experience and hone their talents and skills under the tutelage of well-trained professionals. Because many of the NCI participants attend New Jersey colleges and universities (nearly 30 percent of the Class of 2019 are enrolled at Rutgers University), an extended internship through the academic year is a viable option.

While the Newark College Freshman Institute serves as one bookend of NCI, the Newark College Senior Institute serves as the other. One program helps students transition to the postsecondary world, the other helps them move onto graduate studies or entry-level careers. Engaging students continually throughout their senior year, the Newark College Senior Institute reinforces the NCI teachings on personal and professional development students received as participants of the Newark College Freshman Institute.

“With college degree and NCI training in hand, we hope our alumni will come back to Newark and make it their home for work and play,” shares Farquharson.

(Photo: Members of the Newark College Institute Class of 2019 during the Executives' Discussion with Amina Bey, Mitch Cahn, and Elvin Esteves)

(Photo credit: Mahirah Syed)